[meteorite-list] The 'Ødegaard 54kg meteorite': Iron slag says NHM, Norway

From: Sterling K. Webb <sterling_k_webb_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Fri, 15 Oct 2010 22:22:57 -0500
Message-ID: <AEAB76069F914F16A501979E7911E40B_at_ATARIENGINE2>

Richard, List,

Most bog iron is limonite (dark) or goethite (orange).

Large pieces of bog iron from the Pine Barrens, New Jersey:
http://www.packetinsider.com/blog/nature/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/bog-iron-batsto-7-4-09-cfe1.jpg

Collection of A. L. Swinehart, Hillsdale College (goethite):
http://www.knuckleheadquarters.net/images/ALS-BogIron.JPG

Thousands of pieces extracted from a Newfoundland bog:
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_W9TgkjqLxl4/SxFhewA17DI/AAAAAAAAAZ8/Y9GKQOoiGCQ/s1600/bog-ore.jpg

In laminae and strata:
http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/qhRvCSN2-nGeARrKCgcraQ

>From Poland:
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Limonite_bog_iron_cm02.jpg

>From Appalachia:
http://www.appaltree.net/aba/education/historical/history%20art/Bog-Iron-ore.jpg

Lots of it in Louisiana:
http://www.thegenieslamp.com/bogiron/bogiron.jpg

The Iron Bog in Utah has everything you need:
mountain streams + swampy meadows + acidity = iron:
http://www.utahhikingandlakes.com/images/Iron%20Bog.jpg

"Streams carry dissolved iron from nearby mountains.
In the bog, the iron is concentrated by two processes.
The bog environment is acidic, with a low concentration
of dissolved oxygen. In the acidic environment of the bog,
a chemical reaction forms insoluble iron compounds
which precipitate out. But more importantly, anaerobic
bacteria (Gallionella and Leptothrix) growing under the
surface of the bog concentrate the iron as part of their
life processes. Their presence can be detected on the
surface by the iridescent oily film they leave on the
water (left), another sure sign of bog iron."
http://www.hurstwic.org/history/articles/manufacturing/text/bog_iron.htm
This site has excellent information and photos of
everything about ancient production of bog iron.

And of course, there's the Wundeful Wikipedia!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bog_iron

About 3500 years ago, a people called the Hittites
became an important and large empire because
they could make this strange new metal that was
stronger and sharper than copper or the best
bronze -- instant world domination. It was called
iron.

For a while, the Hittites were the only ones who
knew where the ore was and what it looked like
and how to refine it. A few hundred years later,
when everybody knew, it was all over for them.
Still, not everybody had good refinable iron ore
where they lived. That was a problem.

Bog Iron, although hard to work with and somewhat
inferior and scarcer, became very important. Without
it, any jerk with enough iron swords could push you
around. With Bog Iron, you have a chance to push
them around for a change. The Vikings are an good
example. Bog Iron and Being Completely Crazy will
take you a long way.

Bog Iron was important in Colonial America where
iron was a costly import from the Mother Country.
The Saugus Iron Works refined bog iron starting
in 1646. New Jersey was the biggest producer
(the picture of the big pieces above); that variety of
iron was un-rustable, always a valuable thing in
iron products. Snow Hill, Maryland was a major
producer up to 1850. We shot at the British in the
Revolutionary War and 1812 with Bog Iron
cannonballs. (Sorry about that, chaps!)

So, yeah, I got my expert status on Bog Iron from
the Internet University of Nowhere, BUT... when I
saw the so-called "meteorite" from Norway, I
recognized it from having seen Bog Iron before.
It's pretty distinctive. Compare the Polish piece
in the Wikipedia article with the so-called meteorite.

And, you know, I got all these pictures in ten minutes
by Google-Image-ing for "bog iron." You, too, could
become an instant expert on almost anything that way.


Sterling K. Webb
------------------------------------------------------------------------
----- Original Message -----
From: "Richard Montgomery" <rickmont at earthlink.net>
To: "Sterling K. Webb" <sterling_k_webb at sbcglobal.net>;
<meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com>; "Bjorn Sorheim"
<astrogeo at online.no>
Cc: <astrogeo at online.no>
Sent: Friday, October 15, 2010 8:44 PM
Subject: Re: [meteorite-list]The '?degaard 54kg meteorite': Iron slag
says NHM, Norway


Sterling, it'd be fun to see pics of bog-iron. Can you provide a link,
or
post any photos? I'm big into m-wrongs. -Richard Montgomery


----- Original Message -----
From: "Sterling K. Webb" <sterling_k_webb at sbcglobal.net>
To: <meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com>; "Bjorn Sorheim"
<astrogeo at online.no>
Cc: <astrogeo at online.no>
Sent: Friday, October 15, 2010 3:14 PM
Subject: Re: [meteorite-list]The '?degaard 54kg meteorite': Iron slag
says
NHM, Norway


Bjorn, List,

As I posted, it was an obvious piece of bog iron, with all the
characteristics. Bog iron was still "refined" by progressive
melts up into the 18th century until cheap modern iron
and then steel became available.

This was true everywhere that it could be found. There
was a flourishing bog iron industry in Colonial America,
and I have no doubt it was still being done on homesteads
in Norway through the same time period, which is why
the metallurgist said it was 2-3 centuries old or more.
I imagine he recognized it as incompletely refined bog
iron.

Such a meteor-wrong could be as easily found in New
Jersey or New England as in Norway or Denmark. It is
common find (in smaller, unrefined pieces) anywhere
with well-watered acidic swampy meadows. It is created
by "iron-excreting" bacteria!


Sterling K. Webb
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----- Original Message -----
From: "Bjorn Sorheim" <astrogeo at online.no>
To: <meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com>
Cc: <astrogeo at online.no>
Sent: Friday, October 15, 2010 4:00 PM
Subject: The '?degaard 54kg meteorite': Iron slag says NHM, Norway




Supposed to be Norway's 2nd largest meteorite, was just
old iron slag.
KJR ?degaard was 99% certain it was a meteorite. Would
eat 'grey stones' if it was not!

I might recommend him staying with his heavy stars in the future.
At least norwegian press should stop using 'meteorite expert' about
him and his rock evaluations.

Translate using translate.google.com

www.kvinnheringen.no/nyhende/article5346528.ece

www.bt.no/nyheter/lokalt/Meteoritt-var-ikke-fra-himmelen-1174890.html

Bj?rn S?rheim

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Received on Fri 15 Oct 2010 11:22:57 PM PDT